pain

Topic description and stories

Illustration of the human nervous system

Robotic nerve ‘cuffs’ could help treat a range of neurological conditions

26 Apr 2024

Researchers have developed tiny, flexible devices that can wrap around individual nerve fibres without damaging them.

Mole-rats: meet the Ugly Naked Guys

06 Sep 2022

Understanding their weirdness could help prevent and better treat human illnesses like arthritis and cancer.

Inflatable, shape-changing spinal implants could help treat severe pain

25 Jun 2021

A team of engineers and clinicians has developed an ultra-thin, inflatable device that can be used to treat the most severe forms of pain without the...

Nature’s epidural: Genetic variant may explain why some women don’t need pain relief during childbirth

21 Jul 2020

Women who do not need pain relief during childbirth may be carriers of a key genetic variant that acts a natural epidural, say scientists at the...

Hip, knee and ankle joints analysed by the JSM algorithm, Credit: Tom Turmezei

New 3D imaging analysis technique could lead to improved arthritis treatment

18 Jun 2018

An algorithm to monitor the joints of patients with arthritis, which could change the way that the severity of the condition is assessed, has been...

Prescription bottle for Oxycodone tablets and pills on metal table, Credit: Penn State

Identification of brain region responsible for alleviating pain could lead to development of opioid alternatives

27 Feb 2018

Researchers from the UK & Japan have identified how the brain’s natural painkilling system could be used as a possible alternative to opioids for...

Pain in the machine: a Cambridge Shorts film

02 Nov 2016

̽��ֱ��pain we experience as humans has physical and emotional components. Could we develop a machine that feels pain a similar way – and would we want...

Measurement of brain activity in a patient with phantom limb pain

Cause of phantom limb pain in amputees, and potential treatment, identified

27 Oct 2016

Researchers have identified the cause of chronic, and currently untreatable, pain in those with amputations and severe nerve damage, as well as a...

Naked Mole-Rats: are these rodents immune to cancer?

02 Sep 2015

̽��ֱ��Cambridge Animal Alphabet series celebrates Cambridge's connections with animals through literature, art, science and society. Here, N is for...